The Tuckers in Europe, Part III

What comes to mind when one mentions Belgium?  Waffles?  A small country most Americans couldn't find on a map?  The muscles from Brussels?  For Brandon and Stephanie, it's three things: beer, chocolate, and more beer.  Depending on whom you ask, Belgium produces somewhere between 800 and 1200 different beers, and has done so for centuries.  This, in a modest country roughly the size of Maryland.  They are of course equally renowned for their fine chocolates, and seemingly half of the shops one sees in Belgium are dedicated to one or both of these special treats. And though Belgium is also the birthplace of the frite, or "French" fry, dipping fries in mayonnaise on a hot day was, after having tried it, something we can't recommend to anyone with functioning taste buds.  They do make good fries, but come on; fried potatoes do not a remarkable experience make.

After our stay in London, we sailed across the English Channel from Dover to Calais aboard the Pride of Canterbury ferry, which the kids loved.  It was a hectic day of travel, which saw us take a taxi from our London hotel to Victoria Coach Station, a coach through the southeast of England to Dover, a shuttle from the ferry terminal to the ship, the ferry ride itself, a hike through Calais to the train station there, then three separate trains as we made our way through France and Belgium to settle for the night in Bruges.  It was the most grueling leg of the vacation, but entirely worth the trouble.

Bruges (or Brugge, as the local Flemish Dutch-speakers call it) is a breathtakingly special place. Yes, it is full of tourists.  And yes, the shops and activities all cater to those tourists.  But it's like Disneyland — just because the place is designed for tourism doesn't make it any less magical.  As brilliantly immortalized in the film In Bruges, the town is a medieval fantasy frozen in time.  The ancient houses, streets, churches, canals, and bridges paint a scene that is almost impossibly picturesque.  Words can not do it justice, and photos only offer suggestions of the city's beauty.

We stayed two nights in Bruges, at a 100 year-old house now used as a rather luxurious bed and breakfast.  By comparison, our next overnight stay was at a hostel in Ghent, where we only had time to wash laundry (albeit in typically Belgian fashion, as Brandon was served beer while he waited for the clothes).  While Ghent is a larger, more modern city than Bruges, it promised many of the same medieval sights and attractions we had hoped to enjoy; however, our schedule didn't allow us enough time there, as we had a very important appointment to keep a few miles away...

Melle is a town two train stops from Ghent, and was a necessary stop for us for exactly one reason: it is the home of Brewery Huyghe, the maker of Brandon's favorite beer, Delirium Tremens.  We had set up a visit of the facility in advance, and along with just one other couple from England, the five of us were given a personal tour of the entire brewery, even meeting the company's fourth-generation family owner, and culminating in delicious, fresh drinks from Huyghe's own taproom.  The kids happily sipped Coca-Cola from slender beer glasses.  It was something of a pilgrimage for Brandon, a place he'd wanted to see for 15 years, and a definite highlight of the entire trip for everyone.  Even the kids were eager to buy Delirium Tremens gifts at the shop.

Two other places hosted us in Belgium — a beautiful farmhouse in the small village of Poppel, and a nicely appointed apartment in Brussels, where we ended our Belgian leg of the vacation and made our way back to Paris for the two final nights.  Overall, Belgium seemed to suit us best.  It offered the perfect balance of country and city life, with quaint, quiet, clean towns and farms everywhere one looked.  And while Brussels certainly paled in comparison to its larger Gallic cousin Paris (though naturally, Brussels' beer and chocolate selections won out), we think we definitely enjoyed Belgium the most of the few countries we visited.  Without a doubt, we will go back.

Our lovely home away from home while in Bruges

A typically Belgian scene, as we walked into Bruges

Calvin scouting ahead for us as we entered town

The first gift shop we saw

Hundreds of beers in what was otherwise a tacky

tourist shop — naturally, Brandon stocked up here

Hidden side streets and alleyways

like this were everywhere

Eventually, we had to stop for some classic

Belgian fare — beer, frites, and mussels

Stephanie and Brandon passed on the kids' drinks

and went straight for the good stuff

Visiting Bruges without taking a canal boat ride

simply isn't done, and for good reason

Despite their centuries-old age, these buildings

are all still used and lived in

Bruges is simply the most beautiful town

we have ever seen

At last, we made our way to Brewery Huyghe,

makers of the famous "pink elephant" — Delirium Tremens

One of their old copper kettles fronting the parking lot

Even Calvin loved the tour

José, our wonderful tour guide

Raising a toast, albeit with Coke in their glasses

Collapsed in Melle's train station,

surrounded by the things he loves

After touring the brewery, we stopped for lunch at a

café that makes moustache-shaped chicken tenders

The farmhouse bed and breakfast where we stayed one night

A wonderful breakfast next to the sauna — we

were the only guests there

We played table tennis and boules (like bocce ball)...

...and Chloe and Calvin made

the most of the hammock

Finally, the moment Calvin had been waiting

for — the Manneken Pis statue in Brussels

Le Poechenellekelder café, directly

across from Manneken Pis

The fabulous Autoworld car museum in Brussels

Tintin, one of Belgium's most famous exports,

has his own mural in Brussels

Part II of Our European Adventures

After an overnight stay in Lille, we gathered our backpacks and headed for one of the city's two train stations to catch the Eurostar to London.  Traveling through Europe by train really is the convenient, efficient experience it's made out to be.  Our departure and arrival times were nearly always spot on, and though the nuances of our regional Eurail passes were next to impossible to understand, the trains themselves were a delight to travel aboard.  After all, if a family of weary Americans can figure out the Paris Metro at 5:00 am, you know they're doing something right over there.

The Eurostar connects England to the continent via the Channel Tunnel, and we were delivered directly to St. Pancras station in the heart of London.  Over the next few days, we walked approximately 20 miles (thank you, Google Fit), jostling for space in what has to be one of the world's most hectic cities.  Gone were our relaxed days of French strolling; London was a beehive of people in a hurry.  Locals battled with tourists simply for a spot on a sidewalk, and major sites like the Tower of London, the London Eye, Westminster, Piccadilly, Buckingham, and Regent Street were elbow-to-elbow with a swarm of humanity.  To make matters worse, we showed up on the weekend of a massive bicycle event, which saw 50,000 riders pedaling on streets closed to vehicles. It was fun to watch, but only heightened the sense of severe crowding, as getting nearly anywhere around town was a struggle.  In fact, London has become so crowded, and housing costs have risen so sharply there, that one man realized he could save money by living in Barcelona and commuting to London by air.

Still, we enjoyed ourselves.  We covered the obligatory stops, marveled at the Edwardian, Georgian, and Victorian architecture (never have buildings so stern and cold looked so beautiful), survived a visit to Europe's largest toy store, even took the kids to a pub for some fish and chips and a plate of bangers and mash.  One highlight was the Natural History Museum, and Malcolm was excited when he spotted the statue of Charles Darwin in its place of honor.

London is one of the world's truly great cities, and definitely worth visiting at least once, perhaps especially for Americans.  But shy travelers beware: it is not for the timid.

A proper tour of London begins in Trafalgar Square...


...and no visit to Trafalgar Square is complete
without saying hello to the lions


They may be obsolete, but they're still iconic


Near the London Eye, where a kind local family helped us
with one of our few group photos


Europe's tallest ferris wheel and Calvin's Union Jack
jester cap posing for a photo together


The views from the top are absolutely stunning


Buckingham Palace, in all its splendor


The kids appear less impressed with the Queen's pad


Some views in London catch the eye and won't let go


Another hop-on-hop-off bus, this one
motoring across the Tower Bridge


A better view of the magnificent bridge, taken
from the Tower of London


The Tower grounds, a city within a city, with the Shard
skyscraper in the distance


The Yeoman Warders (aka "beefeaters") are caretakers,
guides, and always happy to pose for a picture (this gentleman
was actually stationed in Alaska while with the Royal Air Force)


Members of the Queen's Guard, however,
are not to be trifled with


The Natural History Museum, home to specimens
collected by Darwin


The great man himself, and a young admirer


The easiest way to inspect a blue whale

Our First European Vacation, Part I

Nine hours of flying, five countries to visit, two years of planning, and one family determined to make the most of it — we finally did it, after what seemed like an eternity of wishing, saving, studying, and preparing.  We've had our first family vacation to Europe, and what a vacation it was.

The idea was simple, though the planning was complex; see as much as possible, in an area Stephanie and Brandon have always wanted to visit, without having to travel every day.  Make it fun for the kids as well as for the adults, incorporate several modes of travel (while relying mainly on rail), carry everything on our backs, and do it all in just over two weeks.  We also knew we wanted to enjoy some basic Europeans staples, such as beer, bread, cheese, and chocolate.  Our schedule and budget were limited, but we knew the time had finally come to make this journey a reality.  And so our adventure began...

__________________________________________

FRANCE, centered mainly in Paris, with side trips to the lovely little town of Pierrefonds, as well as the beautiful northern city of Lille.

LONDON, as we had no time for the UK in general, but still wanted to show the kids this magnificent city.

BELGIUM, because it's freaking BELGIUM.  When one country makes both the world's best beer and the world's best chocolate, you make sure to visit.

THE NETHERLANDS, though only so we could enjoy the wonders of Efteling, a theme park so charming and fun, Walt Disney used it as inspiration for Disneyland.  And finally,

ICELAND, because flying directly over the Arctic is awesome, even if we never managed to leave their airport.

__________________________________________

Icelandair flies directly from Anchorage to Keflavik Airport, about 30 miles outside Reykjavik, connecting on to Paris.  And while Germany's Condor Airlines flies directly to Frankfurt, that trip takes longer, and would have put us farther from some of the sights we wanted to see in France and London.  As it turned out, Icelandair was a terrific choice, with excellent service (especially for the kids) and very fair prices.  We'll fly with them again if we get the chance.  However, because of our changeover times, we weren't able to get out and explore the country itself.  Which just means we'll have to visit Europe's largest waterfall and bask in the hot mineral springs on another trip.

__________________________________________

Though we only glimpsed parts of it, France was a real highlight, with Paris being Brandon's and Stephanie's favorite city.  The historic heart of the city is massive, and one can spend all day exploring without ever entering the more modern business district to the west or the surrounding suburbs.  Every cliché of Paris — from its history and grand architecture to the cafés, bistros, boutiques, and bakeries — they all come to life every day, and they are ubiquitous.  There really are cafés on nearly every street corner, with fashionable Parisians enjoying an espresso and a cigarette while reading or chatting.  Bakeries (boulangeries for breads, pâtisseries for sweets) are everywhere, and locals line up each morning for a baguette or croissants.  We enjoyed several such places, often stopping by a fromagerie and a charcuterie for some cheeses and meats; dining out like a local is an experience not to be missed, but picnicking has its own charms.  An accordion player set the mood for us in front of the Sacré-Cœur, and everyone was, if not outright chic, at least fashionably dressed.

In fact, the only stereotype we did not find to be true was the classic notion of the rude Parisian. Throughout our week-long stay in France (we began and ended the overall trip there), we encountered some of the kindest, most helpful people of the entire trip, always eager to greet us in English when our feeble French failed (as it usually did), and never missing an opportunity to say hello to the kids.  

We spent a day north of Paris in the village of Pierrefonds, home to the breathtaking Château de Pierrefonds, a castle so grand and picturesque, it's the stand-in as Camelot in the BBC show Merlin. We also stayed overnight in Lille, and were able to tour much of the historic city by foot, including the Grand Place, and a beautiful park and zoo in what was once a defensive fort known as the Citadel.

France was an absolute treat, and Paris especially was everything one dreams it could be.

View from our first hotel, across from Gare du Nord rail station

Our reward for a morning's hike through the streets — Sacré-Cœur Basilica on Montmartre

Touring the city from the top of a hop-on-hop-off bus

The one and only

Even bigger than it first looks


The climb up countless stairs to the second level is worth the view

 
Some images don't need a caption


A typical Parisian café...


...where we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast
of crêpes and eggs Benedict

The best meal of the trip, on our final night in Paris,

was at Le Jardin d'Artemis, just outside our apartment

The 13th-century street where our final Paris stay was located...


...which was a beautifully renovated apartment
in a centuries-old building


The hamlet of Pierrefonds, an hour north of Paris


Pierrefonds is an idyllic village...


...complete with its own pond and peddle boats
(of course, we went out for a spin)...


...but it's the castle you come for


Entering through the outer wall


Approaching the daunting drawbridge and portcullis


The magnificent cobbled courtyard of Cháteau de Pierrefonds


The Grand Place of Lille


Lille's town hall belfry, which is heavier than the Eiffel Tower


No trip to France is complete without a toy Citroën 2cv


Prowling the streets of Paris at 4:30 am, so we could
 grab the first Metro train to the airport and head home